Carrying on a tradition of service

  • Published
  • By Tech Sgt. Nic Kuetemeyer
  • 121st Air Refueling Wing

The 121st Air Refueling Wing’s Airman Spotlight of the month for September 2019 is Senior Airman Shannon Barker! Barker is a Public Health technician at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, and was nominated by her leadership for her exemplary work ethic and expertise in her skill set.

 

Barker, originally from Carroll, Ohio, has been in the 121st ARW for four years and is carrying on a military legacy in her family.

 

“Both my parents are retired officers,” Barker said. “Joining the military was the proudest  moment of my life.”

 

But Barker’s commitment to service doesn’t end after drill weekends. She volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House and interns at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Barker attends Ohio University and is pursuing a degree in Health Services Administration.

 

Master Sgt. Amin Ansari, the Medical Logistics non-commissioned officer-in-charge at the 121st ARW, highlighted Barker’s accomplishments that garnered attention at a nationally graded exercise.

 

“She was singled out by the Joint Interagency and Education Center evaluators as an outstanding participant for the Ohio Homeland Response Force (HRF) Exercise Evaluation,” said Ansari. “Her attention to detail and willingness to learn shows through with any task she’s assigned.”

 

Ansari continued, saying that Barker continually goes above and beyond both inside and outside her career field.

 

“She consistently uplifts her fellow wingmen and women by approaching every situation with passion and precision,” said Ansari. “Barker embodies the whole Airman concept and is a great asset to the 121st ARW.”

 

In her role with Public Health, Barker has a unique perspective by helping her fellow Airmen prepare for deployments and says it’s amazing to see how each job on base is dedicated to the single mission. For her, it’s clear that being selfless is a requirement of service.

 

“The best day of my life was seeing my childhood best friend graduate from basic military training. We both achieved our goal of being Airmen at the 121st,” said Barker, whose goal is to retire as a master sergeant. “It is a huge honor to serve my country with such a dedicated group of people.”